


Persuasion

by arithilim



Series: St. Stephan's Island [2]
Category: Merlin - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-01
Updated: 2009-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-04 01:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arithilim/pseuds/arithilim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is a manipulative bastard without even trying and Arthur's too noble for his own dignity.  Set in <a href="http://nyxelestia.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://nyxelestia.livejournal.com/"><b>nyxelestia</b></a>'s hospital!AU land, as a sort of sequel to <a href="http://nyxelestia.livejournal.com/12505.html">Snuggle</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Persuasion

**Author's Note:**

> teddybear!Arthur. What more can a person want? Unbetaed and written late at night, so. Be warned - typos within. And this is all [](http://nyxelestia.livejournal.com/profile)[**nyxelestia**](http://nyxelestia.livejournal.com/)'s fault. All of it.

Really, Arthur thought it was ridiculous how easily Merlin got just about everyone to do what he wanted. Those big blue eyes widened, that goofy smile (that shouldn't be attractive at all yet somehow was ludicrously so) flashed, and suddenly everyone in moderate proximity was falling over themselves to please the manipulative bastard. It was all a bit insane.

Most of the time Arthur found it amusing to watch (in a completely disapproving way of course) Merlin work his particular brand of dorky magic and have hotshot doctors and crabby nurses good-naturedly rushing around to do what he asked (not to mention his retinue of half-sized patients that looked upon him with the awe akin to worship). And the funniest part of the whole situation was that Merlin wasn't even doing it deliberately. He was so earnest, all the time, with no idea that he was easily the most manipulative person this side of the Atlantic.

But right now Arthur was having some trouble finding the humor in it with Merlin's puppy-dog eyes turned on him full blast.

"But Arthur," Merlin said.

"No," Arthur replied firmly. No, no, and no.

"But," Merlin tried.

"No." He was not going to fold, he was not. No matter how sad Merlin's eyes looked or how much his ears drooped (which  
just shouldn't be physically possible, anyway. Talk about playing dirty.)

"Come on, Arthur," Merlin pleaded, holding up the blasted bear costume. "It's just a costume."

Arthur folded him arms and shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"But it's for the children! And charity!" Merlin wheedled.

"There's things I can do for the children that do not involve me taking years off my father's life, or humiliating myself," Arthur said stubbornly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "They're children, Arthur. They'll think it's cool! Besides, you already know how much they love you."

He did. Somehow, inexplicably, Merlin's young patients had come to adore Arthur. It was madness. Yes, he had told them all that story he made up that one time there was the three day blizzard that no one could make it through for visiting hours, and yes, there was that one time he made friendship bracelets with some of the girls when one of their friends had ended up finally succumbing to cancer, and okay, maybe he spent some (most) of his breaks visiting up in the Ward, but really. There was no call for them to look like Christmas had come early when he walked in or give Merlin finger-painted pictures to deliver to him addressed to Dr. Dragon (the 'Pen' had been dropped ages ago). And if he hung them on the fridge it certainly wasn't because they made him feel all warm and happy. He just couldn't have erlin thinking he was the only one able to make kids like him.

But that was beside the point. "The staff aren't children," Arthur pointed out.

"Oh come on," Merlin said. "They'll hardly think badly of you for making the kids' day. They thought it was great when I did it."

"Yes, but you aren't the Dean's son," Arthur answered. "I am supposed to maintain some sort of dignity. And besides, Morgana. There is no way I'm going to get in that suit with her in the building."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Arthur, she doesn't even work on the same floor as Pediatrics."

"Oh, she'll find out," Arthur said darkly. "She always does. She'll make sure I never live it down."

Merlin sighed. "Oh fine." His face saddened. "I guess I'll just have to tell all the kids you aren't coming tomorrow after all. They'll be so disappointed." The ears were definitely drooping.

It was just one day, maybe…no. He turned away ruthlessly squashing down any guilt and mental images of small dejected faces he was. Not. Having. He was clearly in the right here. "Well, I guess you shouldn't have told them I would do it without asking me first," Arthur said.

Merlin sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, you do deserve your day off. I know how hard you've been working." He came up behind Arthur, rubbing his shoulders. "It's not like it's fair to expect you to go out of your way for kids who aren't even your patients."

Exactly, Arthur told the guilt he definitely wasn't feeling. He was completely justified here. Completely.

"I have to get back," Arthur said.

* * *

The guilt didn't leave. It followed him around all day, from the on-call room, to the ER nurse's station, to the operating room. Sad little kid faces kept popping up at the worst times, accompanied by the drop in his stomach usually associated with him realizing he'd acted like an idiot.

"Cover for me," he told a fellow nurse as they wheeled the 32-year-old accident victim out of the OR, and stole off down the corridor to the break room.

It was ridiculous, he told himself, wielding the stir stick a little too vigorously in his coffee. Ridiculous. He glared at the brownish liquid. His mind was betraying him over not dressing up as a teddy bear for a bunch of brats.

He downed the coffee in one long gulp, terrible stuff that it was, and slammed the now-empty styrofoam cup down on the table. He heard a meep and directed a poisonous glare at the new intern apparently frozen in terror across from him, before stalking out of the room. Ridiculous.

* * *

He lasted til about six that night. He held off the rest of the day at work, and the drive home. He even managed to make it through diner, an excruciating hour of Merlin throwing unhappy looks at him whenever he thought Arthur wasn't looking.  But finally, _finally_, after hours of vague guiltiness and his lover looking pathetic, he got up to put the milk away and the smiling crayon version of himself was too much to be borne.

Oh bloody alright, he snapped at his conscious, ignoring as it immediately began dancing a jig or the cancan or something.  He sighed a long-suffering sigh and went back to clearing the table.  It looked like he would be impersonating furry toys after all.

Now, folding under extreme pressure was one thing, but admitting that he had a conscious with the persistence of Morgana to Merlin was, well. Another thing entirely.  Something simply not to be borne, he decided as he settled under covers that night and rolled over to spoon Merlin.  Therefore, this required a plan.

The next morning when the alarm went off, Arthur stayed in bed, grumbling with his usual grumpiness as Merlin got up to get ready for work.  As expected of him, he attempted to waylay Merlin in every way possible, trying to get him to stay home with kisses and wandering hands and some not-so subtle posing, and if he was trying a little harder than normal, well, the prospect of becoming a live stuffed animal wasn't exactly thrilling, now was it?

Merlin did however eventually manage to leave, and as soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Arthur's pouty expression melted away into determination as he sprang up and got presentable in record time.

Getting in to the hospital without being noticed wasn't too difficult.  The staff were too busy gossiping over the latest drama - Kaitlyn had slapped Dr. Rodgers in the face when he'd proposed? Really? - to notice that one of the off-duty ER nurses was sneaking in. This was a crucial step because if anyone seemed hooked in to the gossip network, it was his step sister, and she would immediately be suspicious if she heard he came in on his day off.

Sneaking in to Merlin's office to retrieve the suit proved to be a bit more difficult.  The hallway in front of it was constantly busy, filled with staff arriving at work.  He was well known around here, and undoubtedly someone would mention his presence to Merlin, and then the whole game would be up.  Not to mention, Merlin had a habit of sporadically stopping by his office, and it wouldn't do at all to be caught red-handed.  Clearly, any attempt would have to be masterfully executed.  But then, Arthur had not played Spy with Morgana for years for nothing.

His chance came during morning rounds, when most of the staff was occupied in the patient rooms.  Peaking around the corner, Arthur found the hall deserted.  He crept stealthily to Merlin's door, hiding in the shadows in a recess when a orderly went scurrying by, and slipped inside before anyone could notice him.  He located the hated costume in the closet opposite Merlin's desk, and put it on, trying not to feel as ridiculous as he was sure he looked. At least in the costume, he was somewhat anonymous.

Luckily, the nurse attending the play ward was one he knew well and who could be counted on to be trustworthy. After securing her amused word that she wouldn't breathe a word of this to Merlin, he walked inside to greet his adoring fans.

* * *

 

He backed out the door hours later, amid applause and cries of "Bye, Dr. Dragon!"  As soon as he was outside, he tugged off the suit's hood with relief, grateful for the cool air against his sweaty face.  It was obscenely hot in the costume.

But, well, that was that, and now maybe his idiotic conscious would leave him alone.  And alright, it had been good to see the twins up and about - no one liked to see kids sick, he was sure.  It wasn't personal or anything.

He walked back to sneak back to Merlin's office to return the suit with no one the wiser, but as he turned while backing into the room, he smacked into something.

"Ow," said the object, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like...Oh shit.

He pulled back to see Merlin smirking at him.

"I told you they'd love it," Merlin said, eyes sparkling, as he looked Arthur up and down, taking in the furry suit.

Arthur could feel his face heat, and damnit, he did not blush! "Couldn't let you think you were the only one who could pull off this costume," he muttered.

"Right," Merlin said, clearly not buying it.

Arthur looked away. "Well, if you hadn't lied to them before, I wouldn't have had to make sure they weren't let down," he snapped, falling back on anger.

Merlin though wasn't having any of it. Instead of reacting, he just crowded in to Arthur's space, raising cool hands to cup his cheeks and bring Arthur's face back to him.  "I think it's sweet," he said softly. "Most men wouldn't be able to swallow their pride to do the noble thing."

Arthur relaxed a little into the hold, but made a disgruntled grumble and still wouldn't meet Merlin's eyes.

"I love how good you are with kids," Merlin told him, reaching up to thread fingers through his sweaty hair. "Watching you with them, seeing how great a dad you'll make some day - it's kind of hot."

Arthur made a more placated noise, and then angled his face for a kiss.  It was of course delivered, soft and sweet, until Arthur decided he'd received his due, and slipped his arms down to pull Merlin closer, turning the kiss into something a little more heated.

This of course led to Merlin being shoved up against the door and then the desk, and then it became necessary for clothes to be removed and everything got a little hot and messy from there.

Afterwards, when they were slumped quietly together, Merlin still straddling Arthur's lap in the desk chair, Arthur ran his hands up and down Merlin's sweaty back and thought that maybe, it had all been worth it after all. 

Merlin hummed happily, before languorously raising up his head to look at Arthur.

"There," he said with satisfaction.  "Now, will you not mope about this teddy bear thing if I pretend I don't know about how you keep that bear I gave you hidden in the on-call room's closet under the spare clothes for when our breaks don't line up?"

Merlin laughed up at him from where he'd been dumped to the floor.


End file.
